Fishing fly  and method of fly fishing

ABSTRACT

A fishing fly for catching a fish, comprising a folded rubber string core, one or more materials surrounding the folded rubber string core form a pattern representative of food available to the fish, and an eye formed by a continuous section of the folded rubber string core extending from the one or more materials is provided. The one or more materials may include thread, feathers, or beads. The core may alternatively be metal, plastic, or unfolded rubber. A method of fishing using the fishing fly is also provided. The method includes attaching a fly to a line containing a hook at one end, the fly being attached at some distance from the hook, placing the hook end of the line into a body of water to be fished, and retrieving one or more fish caught on the hook.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/020,199, filed Jan. 25, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/435,194, filed May 16, 2006, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/844,010, filed May 12,2004, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/194,613,filed Jul. 12, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,036,265, all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fly-fishing apparatus and methods.

The popularity of fly-fishing has been increasing over the lasttwenty-five years. The growth in popularity has been accompanied by and,in part, driven by, advances in fly tying materials, rod and reeltechnology, and improved hook and line construction. The basic fly orlure presented to a fish, with the exception of sharper hooks and somesynthetic tying materials, however, has not changed.

The bulk of flies used in angling are tied with natural feathers, fur orsynthetic materials onto a variety of hook sizes and shapes with thepurpose of imitating a fish's natural food items. These include, but arenot limited to, aquatic nymphs, insects floating on top of the water,other fish, ova, and terrestrial animals. A fish is hooked when a fly,with its integral hook, is taken into the fish's mouth and the anglerpulls back on the fly rod to “set the hook” in the fish's mouth.

The increase in popularity of fly-fishing has resulted in an increase inangling pressure on the fish, as more and more people fish waterways.The increase in angling pressure, however, has been mitigated, in part,by a new ethic that promotes the catch and release of fish. As a result,some state agencies have set aside waters that require all fish to bereleased unharmed. In such waterways, fish are often caught multipletimes during the course of a season. Many believe that these fish learnto avoid cues associated with an angler presenting a fly as a result ofbeing caught more than once.

The anecdotal belief that fish can become educated is supported byscientific research that demonstrates that fish can learn to avoidadverse situations, and this memory can last for more than a year. See,for example, J. W. Adron, P. T. Grant & C. B. Cowey, A System for theQuantitative Study of the Learning Capacity of Rainbow Trout and itsApplication to the Study of Food Preferences and Behavior, J. FisheriesBiol. 5:625-36 (1973) and Roger Young & John Hayes, Does IncreasedFishing Pressure Make Trout Harder To Catch?” Cawthron Research News(January 2000), at 1. It is believed that the three most importantnegative cues to a fish are the exposed hook shape and the diameter andindex of refraction of the line. It is believed that color and size ofthe fly are important but not as much as the factors outlined above.

Many anglers recognize some of these negative signals given to the fishby using too large a line diameter, improper fly speed (drag), andimproper color and shape of flies. Anglers, in an effort to overcomethese negative cues, at times utilize the lightest of lines and go togreat lengths to match the size shape and color of a natural. Anglingliterature stresses that the difference of matching a 5 mm natural witha 6 mm imitation can be critical. Nowhere, however, has the impact ofthe exposed hook been discussed. The exposed hook for the commonly usedsize 12 fly is 30% of the area of the entire fly and 40% as large as thedressed (imitated) part of the fly. The vision of most fish is extremelyacute and is especially true for trout. Adult trout routinely feed onfood organisms as small 2 to 3 mm. The exposed hook length of a size 12fly is 14 mm. Doug Swisher & Carl Richards, Selective Trout 20-26 (CrownPublishing Group 1972), state that the wing shape of a floating fly isthe first thing a trout sees and determines whether the fish willcontemplate taking the fly. Using pictures therein, it is easy to inferthat the first image a trout sees is the hook. Humans view flies andassess their viability on the shape size and color. Our intelligenceallows us to eliminate the hook shape from consideration. Fish withlesser intellect see the entire object and cannot dismiss 30 to 40% ofthe mass.

Fish can be very selective at times in the choice of their preferredfoods. Anglers continually change flies to find the constantly changingpreferred food item and its imitation. Changing a fly by the currentstate of the art requires the line to be broken and a new fly tied on.Altering the flies on a line is time-consuming and cumbersome, andcauses great frustration to those with poor eyesight or without thenimblest of fingers.

Some anglers in order to more quickly find the preferred food choice orto increase their statistical odds utilize two or more flies. As statedin Fly Fish America, (March 2002) pp. 20-23, “The use of two flies isnot for everyone and does require more time to rig, dealing with tanglesand hooking yourself every now and then.” The second fly's hook tanglingaround the main line during the cast causes the problems, and thefree-swinging fly presents a hazard to the angler's hand while trying tounhook a fish.

Further problems arising when using current integrated hooked fliesinclude the size of the fly and/or the hook and the number of flies anangler must carry. Large flies are constructed on large hooks to providefor a sufficient gap between the hook point and the fly body needed toengage the fish's mouth. The large size of the exposed hook increasesthe probability that a fish will refuse the fly due to hook exposure. Inmany fisheries with small trout or smolt, large hooks can and dopermanently injure these fish. Also, many of the light fly rods do nothave a backbone that can structurally support setting large hooks in afish. The problem is exacerbated when using light lines since the forceneeded to set a large hook may exceed the breaking strength of the line.

In addition, many alternative fly types are needed depending on the fishsought. As an example, beaded flies in a variety of weights and patternshave become popular. Current beaded fly production involves pushing thepoint of the hook through a hole in the bead and pushing the bead to theeye of the hook. The remainder of the fly is tied with the hookintegrated as a permanent part of the fly. The angler must carrynumerous fully tied flies to cover the range of beaded, non-beaded,weighted, and un-weighted flies as well as the different finishes.

In view of these considerations, new fishing flies are needed to helpanglers in their quest for fish. Further, new methods of presentingfishing flies are also needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the inventionincludes a fishing fly for catching a fish. The fishing fly includes afolded rubber string core, one or more materials surrounding the foldedrubber string core, which materials form a pattern representative offood available to the fish, and an eye formed by a continuous section ofthe folded rubber string core extending from the materials.

Also included is a fishing fly such as the foregoing in which there isno hook attached to the fly.

Additionally, one aspect of the present invention allows the foldedrubber string core of an aforementioned fly to flex laterally, allowingfor close approximation of food movement by the fly in water.

Also included is a fishing fly such as the foregoing in which thematerials used include thread, feathers, or beads.

The invention also includes a fishing fly for catching a fish in whichthe fishing fly contains a core with no hook and one or more materialssurrounding a flexible core. The materials form a pattern representativeof food available to the fish. It also includes an eye formed by an endsection of the core extending from the materials.

Additionally included is a fishing fly as described where the core ismetal.

The invention also includes a fishing fly as above having a plastic tubeor rubber string as its core.

Additionally, the invention includes a fly-fishing rig for catching afish that has a fly line having an end and a fly having a flexible coreand no hook. The fly is attached to the fly line at a distance from theend of the fly line, and a hook is attached to the end of the fly line.

The invention also includes a method for attaching a fly to a line thathas a hook at one end, and the fly is attached to the fishing line at adistance from the hook. The hook end of the line is placed into a bodyof water to be fished, and one or more fish caught on the hook areretrieved.

In addition, the invention includes a method where the fly sinks belowthe surface of the body of the water and a method where it floats on thesurface.

Additionally, a method is included for attaching a fly to a line where aloop of line is threaded through an eye of the fly. The eye is a loop ofmaterial previously incorporated in the fly.

It is understood that both the foregoing general description and thefollowing detailed description are exemplary and are intended to providefurther explanation of the invention claimed.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute partof this specification, are included to illustrate and provide a furtherunderstanding of the apparatus and method of the invention. Togetherwith the description, the drawings serve to explain the principles ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a fly-fishing rig;

FIG. 2 illustrates a fly-fishing rig in accordance with one aspect ofthe present invention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a fly being tied in accordance with one aspectof the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flexible rubber core having an eye formed as thematerial is folded onto itself and that can be used when tying a fly inaccordance with another aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a molded core having a preformed eye and alength-wise indentation that can be used when tying a fly in accordancewith another aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a tube that can be used when tying a fly inaccordance with another aspect of the present invention;

FIGS. 8 to 12 illustrate a preferred method of attaching the hooklessfly of the present invention to a fishing line;

FIGS. 13 to 15 illustrate the approach of a fish to the fly-fishing rigof the present invention and a preferred method of hooking a fish;

FIG. 16 illustrates a rubber loop attached to a tube while tying a flyin accordance with another aspect of the present invention;

FIGS. 17 to 19 illustrates the attachment of a tube to a fishing line inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 20 to 21 illustrate a nymph tied to a fly line in accordance withone aspect of the present invention;

FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrate the addition of a bead to a hookless fly inaccordance with one aspect of the present invention; and

FIG. 24 illustrates a hookless midge fly and a traditional fly attachedto a fly line.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, apparatusand methods are provided for improved fly-fishing.

Advantageously, a fly-fishing fly that does not require the line to bedisconnected to change or remove a fly is presented. The flies can beadded, removed, or pushed up the leader without the need for new knotsthus greatly speeding and simplifying the changing of flies.

Another advantage is that two or more flies can be fished withouttangles and without the potential of the free-swinging fly hooking theangler or fouling in the landing net when landing a fish.

Another advantage of the current invention is that the learned aversionof fish to the hook shape and to objects that do not orient correctlywith regard to the water current is overcome.

The current invention also advantageously provides a soft fly body,which leads to a longer retention time by a fish, enhancing strikedetection and hookups. The ability of the angler to detect a strikebefore the fish has expelled it from its mouth is a major factor insuccess.

An additional advantage offered by the present invention is that theflies assume a more natural shape than hooked flies, which better mimicthe movement of fish food prey items in water.

The invention also offers the advantage of the use of small hooks withlarge flies, which reduce the mortality rate of released fish and theability to use lighter lines and rods.

Advantageously, the invention also allows for easy alteration of the flyfrom weighted to un-weighted and from beaded to non-beaded flies usingthe same basic fly form.

Another advantage of the current invention is that the invention greatlyreduces the numbers and styles of hooks that need to be carried by afisherman.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary fly-fishing rig. A traditional fly rig 10includes a fly 12 with an integral hook 14 connected at the end 16 of afishing line 18. The hook 14 being an integral part of the fly 12 meansthat the fly 12 is constructed, or tied, around the hook. Fishing line18 typically extends below and above (not depicted) the surface 15 ofthe body of water being fished.

FIG. 2 illustrates a fly rig in accordance with one aspect of thepresent invention. The fly rig 20 includes a hookless fly 22 attached toa fishing line 18 some distance from the end 16 of the line 18. Thisdistance may vary from a minimum of slightly greater than zero inches toseveral feet, depending on the type of fly employed and other factors.In a preferred embodiment, a hooked fly 12 can be attached to the end 16of the line 18. The fishing line 18 may be of any number of materialssuch as nylon or fluorocarbon

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an exemplary process of tying hookless flies.Other well-known processes may be employed. The fly is not tied on ahook but instead is constructed using standard fly tying tools such asthe fly tying vise 30 shown in FIG. 3. A pin 32 is inserted into thejaws 34 of the vise 30. In FIG. 4, a core material 40 is attached to thepin 32 by means of tying thread 42 from a thread spool 44. Variousmaterials familiar to one skilled in the art may be used for tyingthread. The core material 40 may be a variety of materials also. As anexample, FIG. 4 shows a flexible rubber material used as a core material40 folded onto itself in order to form an eye 46 during fly tying. Thecore may be surrounded by one or more materials that form a patternrepresentative of food available to the fish. These one or morematerials include, by way of example only, beads, feathers, and threads.These materials are tied onto the fly in accordance with well known flytying techniques. Of course other materials commonly used in fly tyingcan also be used.

Although many materials may be used, FIGS. 5-7 showcase several types ofcore materials. Some core materials are rubbers, plastics, or metals insheet, cord, tube, or molded form and may be rigid or flexible. In sheetor cord form, an eye is formed on one end of the fly in order to attachthe line. The molded form has the eye already incorporated. FIG. 5 showsa flexible rubber core material 50, such as a rubber string, folded ontoitself with an eye 52 formed by the folding. FIG. 6 shows a rigid,molded core 60 with a preformed eye 62 and an indentation 64 along itsbody. The molded core may also have a tailpiece that easily fits instandard tying vices and can be readily snapped off once the fly istied. The molded core 60 may have a flared end 66 that tapers 68 nearits termination 70. FIG. 7 depicts a tubular core. A tube 80 can beattached to a fishing line in numerous ways, some of which will bedescribed below.

Additionally, the core does not need to be flexible, but still shouldnot include a hook. It is, however, believed that an inflexible corecould reduce the effectiveness of the fly due to the restrictedmovement. The smaller the fly, however, the less important thecharacteristic of flexibility is thought to be. Thus, it is believedthat an inflexible material can also be used in the core.

In a preferred embodiment, a finished fly with eye loop is attached toan angler's line by looping a fishing line through the eye loop of a flyand pulling the loop over the body of the fly. FIG. 8 is one embodimentthat uses a threading tool to accomplish the attachment. The threadingtool 90 consists of a fine wire 92 bent back on itself, forming a tip 94and a closed wire loop 96, with both free ends of the wire embedded in ahandhold 98. Such tools are common to one skilled the art. The tip 94 ofthe threading tool 90 is inserted and pushed through the eye 100 of afly 22. As in FIG. 9, the fishing line 18 is terminated on one end by ahooked fly 12 and a rod (not shown) on the other. The fishing line 18 isinserted into wire loop 96 of the threading tool 90 until it protrudes,forming a loop 110 of fishing line 18. In FIG. 10, the threading tool 90and loop 110 of fishing line 18 are pulled back through the eye 100 ofthe fly 22 until a loop 110 of fishing line 18 longer than the fly 22 isformed, and the threading tool 90 is removed from the eye 100. FollowingFIG. 11, the loop 110 is pulled over the body of the fly 22, and, asshown in FIG. 12, the loop 110 is pulled tight around the fly's 22 eye100. Friction allows the fly 22 to remain stationary while fishing, butthe position of the fly 22 along the line 18 may be adjusted by pullingon one leg of the line 18 while holding the fly 22.

In traditional fly-fishing, a fish takes a fly with an integrated hookinto its mouth, and an angler, sensing a take, pulls the line, whichengages the hook in the fish's mouth. From FIG. 2, the inventive methodprovides for a hookless fly 22 some distance from a conventional hooked12 or bare fly attached to the terminal end 16 of the line. FIG. 13shows a fish 120 approaching hookless fly 22. As FIG. 14 depicts thefish 120 takes the fly 22 into its mouth 130. FIG. 15 demonstrates thatas an angler, sensing a take, raises the fly rod, the hookless fly 22 ispulled through the fish's 120 mouth 130, driving the terminal (hooked)fly 12 into the fish's 120 mouth 130. Referring to FIGS. 15( a) and15(b), respectively, the hooked fly (or bare hook) 12 sets into theexterior 140 or interior 142 part of the fish's 120 mouth 130.

FIG. 16 shows a rubber loop attached to a tube. When a tube 80 is usedas a core, a preferred embodiment contains an eye 46 that may be createdas the fly is tied. Attachment to the line can be identical to the aboveprocess. FIG. 17 illustrates another embodiment where tube-containingflies with or without an eye may be attached to a line. An insert 150can be used to attach a tube fly to a line 18. The tube 80 can beattached to the line 18 via a press-fit insert 150 whereby the line 18is captured between the body of the insert 150 and the tube 80. FIG. 18shows another embodiment where a tube 80 is attached to a line 18 usinga crimp-based pin 160 pushed into the tube 80. FIG. 19 shows the use ofan eye pin. An eye pin 170 may be inserted in a tube 80, and the fly 84attached to the line 18 using the threading tool. Here, the fishing line18 is directly attached to the eye pin 170 insert. The insert 150 canalso be an eye loop or any other attachment device. The insert 150 mayalso be glued or press fit to the fly or tied onto the fly as anintegral part of the fly with tying threads.

The inserts can be metallic or plastic, and the visual part of theinsert can be various colored beads or crafted as the anterior of thefood item the fly is mimicking. The threading tool may also be pushedthrough the tube, capturing the line and a piece of rubber filament inthe process and as a result affixing the line to the tube. The twotrailing rubber ends at the tail of the fly are pulled tight to snug thefly to the line and either cut off or left to mimic the tail of a nymph.

In a preferred embodiment, a traditional hook may be used with theinventive hookless fly. For example, a C-hook, which is well known inthe art, may be used in addition to the hookless fly.

The inventive system allows traditional patterns to be fished with muchsmaller hooks. FIG. 20 shows a hookless fly with a hook near the mainfly body. Pulling a small hook 180 tight to the eye 100 of the fly 22completes the rig. FIG. 21 shows another embodiment with a smallfree-swinging fly. The rig can be fished with a small free-swinging fly190 some distance from the hookless fly 22. The use of smaller hooksalso allows advantageous use of lighter fly rods with large patterns andreduces injuries to fish.

Advantageously, the inventive system also allows the angler to have onefly pattern and change beads or delete them at will, reducing the numberof flies needed. FIG. 22 shows the construction of a hookless fly with abead. Here, a bead fly is assembled by passing the threading tool 90through the eye 100 of a hookless fly 22 and subsequently through thecenter hole 200 of as many beads 202 as desired. A loop 110 of fishingline 18 is made as before. FIG. 23 illustrates the completed fly with asingle bead attached. The line 18 and fly's 22 eye 100 are containedwithin the center hole 200 of the bead 202.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a hookless midge fly242, tied in accordance with the principles of the present invention,may be used as illustrated in FIG. 24. The term midge fly incorporates avariety of small flies, typically with hooks as small as #28. A mayflyis one example of a midge fly. The midge fly 242 is tied to the line244, by any previously described method or any other known method, asuitable distance from a traditional fly 246. Alternatively, a plainhook can be used in place of the fly 246. Further, it is sometimespreferable to tie multiple midge flies on the line 244.

The apparatus and methods described herein are unique means for quicklyand easily attaching or detaching hookless flies and lures to a fishingline. The invention allows attachment or detachment of lures fromfishing lines without cutting or disconnecting the line, decreases thecost incurred since one does not have to purchase such a large array offlies, hooks, and fly accessories, overcomes the learned aversions offish to hook shape and incorrect orientation of objects with respect tothe water current, as well as longer retention time of the fly by thefish, leading to greater strike detection and hook setting.

The flies assume more natural shapes than hooked flies, better mimicnatural food movement on the water, and improve incorrect buoyancyproperties (relative to natural food) of the flies. False strikes by anangler are reduced, which increases the time the fly is properlypresented; the mortality rate of released fish is decreased through useof smaller terminal hooks; and changing from various weighted tonon-weighted flies is simple and fast.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference toparticular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodimentsare merely illustrative of the principles and applications of thepresent invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications and variations can be made in the apparatus andmethods of the present invention without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present inventioninclude modifications and variations that are within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

1. A hookless fly capable of being attached to a fishing line without a knot in the fishing line, comprising: a rubber eye through which the fishing line can be looped such that the fly is held in place on the line by friction; whereby the fly is held in place on the fishing line by friction; and whereby the fly can be moved along the fishing line without disconnecting the fishing line from the fly.
 2. The hookless fly as claimed in claim 1, whereby the fly can be removed from the fishing line without breaking the fishing line.
 3. The hookless fly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a body.
 4. The hookless fly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the eye is flexible.
 5. The hookless fly as claimed in claim 3, further comprising materials surrounding the body to imitate a natural fly.
 6. A hookless fly, comprising: a molded preformed core forming a structural base; one or more materials tied on the core to craft an artificial fly having a fly pattern; and an eye extending from the core.
 7. The hookless fly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the eye is integral to the molded preformed core.
 8. The hookless fly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the eye and the molded preformed core are separate components that are attached.
 9. The hookless fly as claimed in claim 6, whereby the fly is held in place on the fishing line by friction.
 10. The hookless fly as claimed in claim 6, whereby the fly can be moved along the fishing line without disconnecting the fishing line from the fly.
 11. The hookless fly as claimed in claim 6, whereby the fly can be removed from the fishing line without breaking the fishing line. 